As governor, I have not received a salary, and my wife does not have an official vehicle—Soludo

Anambra State’s governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has come clean about not taking a salary from the state in the two years since he took office.

He mentioned that his wife, who is the first lady of Anambra State, does not have an official vehicle but continues to use his personal vehicles.

While celebrating his administration’s two-year anniversary at Sunday’s celebration in Awka, the capital of the state, this was mentioned by the governor.

By eliminating spending and refraining from borrowing money for the past two years, Soludo claims he is consciously implementing the most austere fiscal policy ever.

We choose to show something—the ability to accomplish more with less—during the first two years, but any governor who arrives would inevitably flood you with offers for borrowing and everything in between.

For the past two years, we have consciously decided not to borrow money, even though we have received approximately 25% of what was in the past, in terms of both real and dollar terms.

“How can you do without borrowing and under such difficult circumstances?” is a question that has come up multiple times. My response is that this is necessary because we are enforcing the strictest fiscal policy ever.

I am not receiving any compensation from the government of Anambra State at the moment that I am speaking with you. “The First Lady of Anambra still uses my personal automobiles, even though she doesn’t have any official cars,” Soludo remarked.

According to the governor, allocating funds to prioritised initiatives that matter to the state’s citizens is his way of cutting down on waste and the expense of government.

He claimed that his administration has put an emphasis on underserved regions, constructing healthcare facilities, roadways, and educational institutions in locations where they have never existed before.

The people of Anambra were given the assurance by Soludo that they will see the return on any funds entrusted to him as governor. He also promised that if he were to borrow money, they would be shown the projects that used it and how they would pay it back.

Bishops Jonas-Benson Okoye of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi and Paulinus Ezeokafor of the Catholic Diocese of Awka officiated the Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving to commemorate the two-year anniversary of Soludo’s administration.